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Topic: Alternatives to AnVir Task Manager (Read 7997 times)

My subscription to AnVir's updates has expired, and I decided to ask for alternatives before updating it.

Here is what I get from AnVir:

Process managerTray icons which show CPU and memory loadStartup manager (in particular, I really like being immediately notified and asked for permission when some stupid application decides to add itself to the startup)

What I don't like is that it sometimes freezes and takes quite a bit of resources when its main window is open (though not when it's minimized to the tray, happily).

What are good alternatives there, especially for managing startup programs?

Hi, Alexey. I used AnVir Task Manager Pro for a while. What I especially liked about it was the single icon I could put in the system tray that would monitor and offer information about both CPU and memory usage. Every now and then I still use it for that purpose. However, for startup management, I much prefer WinPatrol Plus. It does what most good startup management programs do--tells you what's starting at startup, allows you to add, remove, or disable items or to arrange to have them start at delayed startup (to avoid conflicts with other programs). It will warn you any time a program tries to insert itself into the startup menu, and helps you get rid of it. It also provides some helpful information about each program, including advice about whether it's safe and whether you can safely remove it. Unlike AnVir, WinPatrol gives information that is pretty reliable, unlike the rather flaky "security risk" assessments offered by AnVir. Another nice thing about Win Patrol Plus is that you can use it on all your computers, and once you've bought the Plus version, ALL upgrades are free. WinPatrol Plus is one of the first programs I install on any computer.

One other program you might want to take a look at is The Ultimate Troubleshooter. I no longer use it--I don't recall why not, perhaps because I felt WinPatrol Plus was enough by itself. But I liked The Ultimate Troubleshooter better than AnVir.

After installing WinPatrol (not Plus yet): looks all right. The presentation for startup manager isn't as nice as with AnVir, but quite workable. Similarly, System Explorer (found at Gizmo's site) looks like a useful Task Manager replacement. My biggest dislike so far is that I can't get its information window to stick, which is occasionally useful.

For a more hands-on approach you could try the (latest) SysInternals Suite. All the tools in this collection are free, come from the Microsoft TechNet site and are lean, mean, clean and best of all...free.

The raw power behind these tools is amazing, if you put in (some) study time. It is not really a one-click solution, but you will find replacements for a lot of commercial software.

Responding to the original question:

ProcessExplorer - a very good task manager alternative and part of the SysInternals Suite,

ProcessHacker - a very able task manager, quire similar to ProcessExplorer and open source. Admittedly, the name is not so trust inspiring, but don't let that stop you from trying this one.

Both Process Explorer and Process Hacker are very good and can be configured to show cpu, memory and other things in system tray.For managing startup programs, things are a little more complicated. I use CodeStuff, which is quite good and easy to play around, or Autoruns from SysInternals, which is for advanced users. Unfortunately, this programs do not monitor in real-time for applications that want to auto-start. For this I used Mike Lin's Startup Monitor: http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml but it does not work on my 64 bit Windows 7 (but, if I remember correctly, it worked on Vista 32 bit).

Similarly, System Explorer (found at Gizmo's site) looks like a useful Task Manager replacement. My biggest dislike so far is that I can't get its information window to stick, which is occasionally useful.

Today's giveawayoftheday is Fotis SysResources Manager 11.1, and as I was testing it, I was thinking it pretty much can do everything that AnVir Pro can do and then some! It even has a rare but potential useful collection of shortcuts to Windows' system folders. In fact I was thinking about replacing AnVir Pro with Fotis when my AnVir license becomes outdated!

Today's giveawayoftheday is Fotis SysResources Manager 11.1, and as I was testing it, I was thinking it pretty much can do everything that AnVir Pro can do and then some! It even has a rare but potential useful collection of shortcuts to Windows' system folders. In fact I was thinking about replacing AnVir Pro with Fotis when my AnVir license becomes outdated!